I have been offered a place to study biomedical sciences at st. george's uni. has anyone studied this course at st. georges or knows about the reputation of the university. I cant find it in any university league tables?

I am not sure about at St Georges.. But have you tried looking at www.hero.ac.uk for information on it?

Yeh i have checked their RAE rating which for my subject is 3a, but they are a member of the university of london which should count for something right. I suppose with imperial leaving and the other 3 big names also looking to leave the university of london, i wonder exactly how much their degree will be worth in say 5 years. If anyone has already taken or is currently enroled in biomedical sciences at st. georges please leave a post.

Does anybody know what the reputation of St. George's is. Ive read it is the second oldest medical school in the country, but they do collaborate with kingston, which has a bad reputation and their entry requirements are quite low. (2ii for MRes biomedical sciences)

btw....Are you talking BSc or MRes?

Hi, I'm a biomedical graduate from liverpool - just wanted to point out about IBMS accreditation (apologies if your already aware of this!). To work as a state registered biomedical scientist within the NHS it is necesary not only complete a biomedical degree, but one that is accredited by the IBMS (for all the info see www.ibms.org). I know this sounds like an obvious thing to check but I have friends that had studied a similar sylibus to me but have found themselves having to got back to uni and complete topup modules!

Back on topic...I had a little look at the course and its entrance req. and modules seem very similar to mine (which was a very good course). Are you studying to become a biomedical scientist (BMS), or is this a route into medicine for you. The only reason I ask is that if your wanting to become a BMS it is sometimes a bad idea to study at a medical school as they all presume you really want to study medicine and as a result, your scientific education may be poorer. I made a specific effort to get a course within a scientific department and this had paid off two fold due to the intensitiy of the scientific modules (although I didn't thank them at the time) and the links with industry. I was actually asked at one of my PhD interviews about whether my dept. was medical or scientific! However, if your wanting to go into medicine eventually, then any ties with a medical school are excellent! Hope this helps Dan

Sorry to post again!!! but this link contains the breakdown of al accreditied courses for the uk -

http://www.ibms.org/index.cfm?method=education_and_careers.biomedical_science_courses

'if your wanting to become a BMS it is sometimes a bad idea to study at a medical school as they all presume you really want to study medicine and as a result, your scientific education may be poorer.'

Agree with that comment completely, I've just finished biomed at SGUL and because of the nature of the course (basically pre-clinical Medicine) you don't get much exposure to the world of BMS research or what its like to work in a hospital lab and could ultimately be stuck if you decide you don't want to go into Medicine

Cheers Just for interest, are you doing an MD or are you a PhD?

Thanks for the replies. im studying the MRes degree and im intending to study for a PhD next year. i dont think my course is intended to be a stepping stone for medicine because it is a research masters and 60% of the final mark comes from the research project. Also when i apply for a PhD it will be at whatever medical school so i hope it will work to my advantage. profB i was also wondering what you think of St. George's reputation?

im asking because in 2005 st. george's joined UoL and in 2007 Imperial broke off from UoL and said they didnt want to award the same degree as less prestigious members. Do you think Imperial and perhaps some others think lowly of st. George's?

I don't think it's about thinking St George's as lowly.

Unfortunately, this is a big gap between the top elite (red brick) universities and the rest of them when it comes to undergraduate and even some master degrees. The courses are more demanding on both your physical and intellectual capabilities. I speak from personal experience. I actually found my masters course much easier than my undergrad BSc course for example, my masters being at a university not that far from imperial in the rankings.

However I think these things are quite relative and I'm sure there are people on here who will disagree with me.

I actually think its more about Imperial wanting to get Oxbridge-like status, hence distancing themselves from the other London unis, some of which are excellent, such as UCL.

If the contents of this course is what you want to do and the RAE rating is high, you don't have a problem in my opinion.

Hi just wanted to ask if you decided to accept the course at St Georges. I have also been offered a place and have decided to accept. What did you do to get around funding I am finding it really difficult!!

H thanks for the reply, what you have said about Imperial makes a lot of sense. Hey Biochem:) I have accepted the offer and im also struggling to find funding, I actually asked Debbie Baines at the interview and she basically said there is no such funding for this course. The only good news is that they are flexible and allow you to pay over the year, i'm currently looking for a job how do you intend to fund it? I dont understand the high tuition fees they expect us to pay, its more then you would have to pay at Imperial!!